


Drabbles

by backtothestart02



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Requests, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2018-07-12 22:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7124092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backtothestart02/pseuds/backtothestart02
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompts requested of any Barry & Iris scenario, each one in an attempted 1,000 words or less. Ongoing. Barry/Iris.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Saved From the Speedforce

**Author's Note:**

> This series of drabbles is based on prompts/requests, so new chapters will only be added when I get new requests/prompts. They can be submitted to me here, on my tumblr (w/ the same name) or on my fanfiction.net account (username: steepedinshadows419).
> 
> Note: While I originally tried to make these drabbles 1,000 words or less (and I still really try to), most of them are around 1,500 words and occasionally some reach the 2,500 to 3,000 range (which borderline makes me want to change the title of this fic, lmao). But! If they surpass 3,000 words or get reeeeally close (or end up becoming more than one chapter), I make them standalone fics (obvs for the latter). This is the case with my fics, The Distance Between Us and White Blur, which were originally Drabbles requests.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 1: Can you do a one where Barry and Iris reunite after the 2nd particle accelerator? You might have already done one but I don’t care. –Anon

_“You’re not going back.”_

 

The words thrummed in Barry’s mind, making his head hurt.

He left the Joe look-a-like in the home that wasn’t his and walked into a world parallel to his own, except it wasn’t. His mother was there; his father, Iris, Joe…but they weren’t really _his_. Some of them didn’t even pretend to be. From what he could tell he was trapped in the speed force with no way of getting home. There was no way he could know if his friends and family back in STAR Labs, if Iris, were trying to find a way to get him back or if they just assumed he was dead.

The burning feeling he’d felt as the explosion hit him head on was unlike anything else he’d ever known. The fire of a thousand flames igniting him and then tearing him to shreds. It felt like a distant dream, but he knew it was real, despite the fact that when he’d woken up in this alternate universe, he was in one piece and not singed to a crisp.

He’d pleaded with the Iris look-a-like to let him go back, that his world was in danger and needed to be saved, but she’d given him even less than the Joe look-a-like. She’d been silent.

Frustration hit him harder than ever before, because he knew – unless he had his speed, _if_ he could get back – there wasn’t really a thing he could do about a world in danger. Time passed slowly here, but at what speed was it going back in the time he’d come from, the place he wanted to be right now?

There was no way to be certain.

Barry found himself walking faster and faster till he reached the park where he and Iris had played when they were kids. He saw scenes past before him, a shaky version of their younger selves playing. Iris showing him how to defend himself against bullies, or playing tag and him letting her win because he liked her. Or maybe that was just what he told himself, so he didn’t have to admit he wasn’t the fastest runner.

Slow.

That was amusing to think of now, for so many reasons.

But as the visions of the younger Barry and Iris faded away, he found himself thinking of Iris – _his_ Iris – back home on Earth-1, out of this wretched speed force in between place.

He thought of what she’d said to him.

_“No matter what happens, it will never change the way I feel about you.”_

He thought about the way he’d felt when she said that, his heart racing. It made him believe anything was possible, that the explosion would be a success, that Zoom would be defeated, and that Iris would finally be _his_. They could be together in a way he’d hardly dared to dream for over a year.

But that hadn’t happen. The only thing keeping him grounded now were those words.

He focused on them as if nothing else mattered. He closed his eyes and pictured her saying them, pictured every moment they’d had together that led him to this point, pictured where she was right at this very moment and what she was doing.

Then, he felt himself start to shake.

He opened his eyes and looked around him. Everything appeared as it had before, but then very suddenly the ground beneath his feet vibrated. And then again, stronger.

He looked at his hand and saw the vibrations. He sensed a light ahead of him and looked up. It shone so brightly that he couldn’t look away. Without thought he ran towards it and suddenly he was running, moving faster than he’d done even as the Flash with four times his initial speed. He ran into the light, still as fast as he could go. He saw memories flash around him, but he focused only on Iris, on her words.

Then on new words that he hadn’t heard before.

“Come back, Barry. Come back to me.”

Shocked, and hardly daring to believe the reality, he kept moving forward, until he was forced to stop.

Because he was back in STAR Labs. Home. And everyone in the room was moving around frantically, unaware of him.

He hoped this wasn’t some wretched dream, or that he wasn’t a ghostly vision from beyond that they couldn’t see.

“Guys!” he said, and they all turned to him.

They all stopped and looked at him and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Barry?” Joe squeaked.

He nodded and walked further into the room, out of the chamber he’d been in when they saw him disappear into fiery oblivion.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He laughed in disbelief and they all started circling around him.

He smiled and hugged them and then realized Iris wasn’t amongst them.

“Where’s Iris?” he asked and they all turned around, looking for where she was and apparently mystified she wasn’t in the room.

Then, as if she had been summoned from wherever it was she had disappeared to, she came running down the hall and burst into the room. She came to a sudden hall when she saw him.

“Barry?” she choked on sobs.

He nodded and then sped towards her with his restored flash speed, ignoring all the excited cheers of those now behind him.

Iris looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I…” she tried and couldn’t seem to get out anything else.

“You brought me back, Iris,” he said. “It was you.”

Tears filled her eyes and she still couldn’t speak. He cupped her face and felt them both shiver from the physical contact. Then, he lowered his head and took her lips in a kiss that barely kept its passion contained. When she pulled him closer, it exploded.

The cheers and clapping behind them hardly existed.

“I want that future, Iris,” he breathed. “I want it with you.”

She nodded and laughed and smiled and still said nothing, but the starstruck look in her eyes was enough. She pulled him in for another kiss and murmured the softest, most beautiful words when they finally parted.

“I love you, Barry.”

His heart thrummed harder than ever and he wondered how he was still breathing.

How long had he waited for those words?

It felt like forever.

He cupped her face and held her gaze.

“I love you, Iris.” He swallowed, tears forming in his own eyes. “You…saved…my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble was written prior to 2x21. The episode hadn't aired yet and this was my guess at what a reconciliation could have looked like.


	2. One Year Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 2: It is WestAllen's one year anniversary and Barry is planning to surprise Iris with something special ~you decide what is this special thing because I'm not creative lol :D Please and thank you <3 -Anon

He sat on the park bench rubbing his hands together. Then he stopped and leaned back, sinking into the hard wood. He casually crossed his left ankle over his right knee. Then his foot started to bob. He whistled a little and then popped his mouth.

And then stopped when a dog walker had to stop due to his dog pausing to see where the sounds Barry was making were coming from.

Barry forced a polite smile and a nod when the man caught his gaze, looking puzzled, and then walked away.

When the man was gone, Barry sat up. He stood then, telling himself to make no more noises, and paced the short space in front of the bench.

Then finally –  _finally_  – he stopped, and time froze.

The nerves that had been wracking for the past half an hour – despite the fact that she was supposed to meet him only five minutes later – ceased for that moment. The awestruck look on his face broke into a grin when she closed the distance between them, grabbed his tie and pulled him down for a quick passionate kiss.

"Hey, Barry," she whispered when she pulled away and slowly released his tie.

"H-Hey," he squeaked a little and cursed himself for it. A whole year of marriage later and he still turned into a bumbling high school nerd whenever she showed him an ounce of unexpected affection.

She smiled though and didn't mention it.

"I see you remembered what day it is," she noted.

He turned to where she was looking and saw he'd left the fresh picked daisies on the park bench. He sighed, sped over and returned, handing them over to her.

"One of my many surprises."

Iris lowered her head to inhale the scent of the white petals. Her eyes were soft and dreamy when she looked back up at him.

"I've always admired when you brought me daisies."

He quirked his head in misunderstanding.

"Since my name is Iris, almost every boyfriend I've had has bought me irises. Eddie bought me roses, so I didn't mention it because at least it was something different. But  _daisies_  – daisies are my favorite."

Barry beamed, proud of himself for remembering.

"Are you…ready to go?" he asked, nerves now gone and excited for what lay ahead.

"By all means. Take us there."

He didn't know if she expected him to speed her off to another place and time, but one moment they were in the middle of the park they'd always played at as children, and the next they were in a meadow in the countryside  _filled_  with daisies.

"Fresh picked daisies?" Iris breathed, tears in her eyes when she looked at Barry. She bit her lip when he nodded.

He took her hand and led her over to the start of some rolling hills where he had a picnic basket full of food waiting for them beneath the shade of some aging oak trees.

"Barry Allen, I believe you've out done yourself."

Still smiling, he unrolled the red and white checkered table cloth and set it on the ground. Then he sat down and pulled her to sit with him.

"…which is saying a lot," she continued, "because you're just about the most romantic guy I've ever met."

He was beaming so much now that it was difficult to talk.

"Well, I…I waited a long time for you, Iris West." He paused. " _Allen_."

" _West_ -Allen," she corrected, her eyes twinkling.

Her defiance faded when the look in his eyes set free the butterflies inside her.

"It's been a whole year now," she pondered aloud, wondering if he could hear her heart beating as loudly as she could. She distracted herself by digging through the picnic basket in search of the chocolates she knew he'd have buried at the bottom. When she found them, she grinned and pulled one out to unwrap it. "Bored yet?"

He suppressed a scoff as she popped the chocolate into her mouth. She watched his eyes drop to her lips and knew she wouldn't be able to resist much longer

"Never," he said.

The disbelief evident in his voice acted like a trigger. Her grin lessened into a gentle smile that disappeared entirely when she closed the distance between them again and kissed him. He had barely touched her, but the spark ignited and soon she was on his lap attempting to devour him.

"Iris—" He pulled away for an instant. He'd prepared a long romantic speech, a walk through the meadow, pointing out the significance of this place beyond that first bouquet of flowers, but it was difficult to focus on those things when Iris – as always – was so determined to claim him.

"Tastes good, doesn't it?" she said before he could utter a word, only a breath or two between them.

The hunger in her eyes gave him more than enough cause to put aside his extensive plans till later that afternoon.

"Yes you do," he murmured, and pulled her in for another kiss.


	3. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 3: Westallen on their first date after Barry gets back from the speedforce –Anon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the following are both first date prompts. The only difference is one was more detailed than the other, so I wrote two.

Barry stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, giving himself a look over for the hundredth time. He had tried 5 shirts, 3 pants, different colored socks and definitely overgelled his hair at one point. After taking a second shower however, and firmly deciding on an outfit, he told himself to not look back and stepped outside his bathroom – only to walk straight into an amused Joe smiling smugly, arms folded across his chest.

“Big date?” he asked cheekily.

Barry blinked, and then smiled nervously.

“Biggest of my life,” he muttered, walking past his second father and heading down the stairs.

“You got flowers?”

“Check.” He picked the bouquet up off the kitchen table.

“A game plan?”

“Check.” He pat his shirt pocket for the little sheet of paper listing all the things he planned to do.

“Your heart rate slowed down?”

Barry stopped just before the front door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He turned and looked at Joe, whose expression had softened a little.

“Not when it comes to your daughter,” he said, and left the house without looking back.

…

Iris brought the flowers to her nose again, inhaling the scent. She’d told Barry they were beautiful and she loved them a couple times already, but it still took effort to keep from saying it again. The sight of him standing in front of her apartment door, a look of adoration and nerves on his face had made her feel better about her own nerves. Though now, distracting herself with the sweet scent was the only way to keep from worrying if her hand was sweating.

She didn’t know what was the matter with her. Barry had gotten her flowers before – for her birthday, graduation, big events. And they had held hands too, on numerous occasions. But it was different for this time, because they were both openly embracing the fact that _romantically_ they were on the same page.

The only thing stronger than Iris loving that Barry got her flowers or worried that her hand would drench his with sweat, was the fact that the urge to kiss him was so overwhelming she thought she might pass out if that need wasn’t quenched.

“So, where are we going?” she asked to fill the silence.

He turned to her, a hesitant smile on his face.

“It’s a surprise.”

His eyes danced and she laughed, enjoying the lightness between them and how it wasn’t awkward like she’d worried it might be.

Twenty minutes later, after walking the roundabout way, he made her close her eyes and he sped her to their spot. The rooftop of jitters where she’d had her first real conversation with The Flash, the mysterious speedster saving people and refusing to give her a proper interview.

It wasn’t fancy, but there was a little table near the corner. An empty vase sat in the middle and she promptly arranged her bouquet inside it. Then she took her seat and reached her hand across the space between them. He took it and kissed her knuckles. She felt butterflies explode inside her.

“Tell me the first time you knew you had feelings for me,” she requested.

His eyes widened. “The _first_ time?” he squeaked.

She nodded, ignoring his nervous antics, because it was honestly one of the things she loved about him.

“The first time I saw you,” he said.

“In the _fifth grade_?” she gawked.

“Fourth, actually. I had just turned nine and a half, and I was very proud of that fact. I was at the park with my…” He averted her eyes for a moment. “…with my parents to celebrate – they always firmly believed that half-birthdays were nearly as important as real birthdays.”

“I remember,” she said softly.

“I…I saw you coming into the park with Joe and I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. You were a master at the monkey bars and you pushed a boy over for pulling on a toddler’s pig tails and taking away her sand toys.”

Iris laughed. “You remember all that? At age nine and a half?”

He nodded and smiled at the memory.

“I remember the important things.” He intertwined their fingers. “Events that are life-changing.”

……

After a quiet, simple dinner on a rooftop with so many memories, Barry sped Iris down the block and started back to her apartment.

“Do you think it was too simple?” he asked when they were almost to her door.

She turned to look at him, confused.

“This date,” he clarified. “Do you think I should’ve done _more_?”

“I think it was perfect, Barry Allen,” she said smiling and coming to a stop in front of her door. “There’s only one thing missing.”

He smiled back, cupped her face in his hands and took a deep breath.

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this, Iris,” he swallowed. “For this to be real.”

She inched herself closer.

“If you wait much longer, I’m going to have to take matters into my own hands.”

His face lit up and she decided patience was no longer a virtue she could uphold. She went up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

Barry moaned in surprise, but then she felt the shivers ripple through him and his fingers sink into her hair. She couldn’t remember having a better first date kiss. They were so connected, more than she’d ever been with anyone. It took effort to pull away.

“Goodnight, Barry,” she whispered.

He kissed her cheek and then her nose and then the back of her hand and smiled.

“Goodnight, Iris.”

In a flash of red, he disappeared from her doorstep. Wind rushed past her face. His departure alone left her feeling more excited than she’d dared to dream. Her lips still tingled from the taste of his kiss.


	4. First Date Gone Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 4: no-good horrible first date for Barry and Iris, but it turns out okay in the end :) -sendtherain

At the place all god-awful first dates begin, Barry and Iris’s began at the beginning.

Barry had spent an hour – even with his speed – deciding on what to wear, and how to smell, and how to show up. Whisk her away with his speed, or show up in something classy or romantic – like a horse-drawn carriage or a limo?

After he’d been able to pick his jaw back up off the ground when he’d first caught sight of Iris in her body-hugging little black dress and stiletto heels, they’d made their way to the horse-drawn carriage he’d settled on.

While he was assisting Iris into the seat – like the gentleman he was – one of the horses pooped on his shoe. Disgusted, Barry bent down to inspect the damage and accidentally brushed again the horse’s rear, causing it to _step_ on his foot.

The muffled pain shrieking from behind closed lips had caused Iris to take notice. He couldn’t even look at her at first when he heard her call his name.

“Are you okay?” she asked, prodding further and concern coloring her voice.

“Mhmm,” he assured her, still wincing. “I’ll just…I’ll be right back.”

In a flash he was gone and back with a new pair of shoes and only a faint tingling of the pain that had been caused by a large hoof stomping on his foot.

Iris’s lips parted, but she appeared unable to think of anything to say, so he joined her in the carriage and informed the driver they were ready to go.

…

 

Iris was having a seemingly irreversible state of the jitters.

 _What was wrong with her?_ she wondered, allowing Barry to steer her in the direction of their dinner table.

 Barry was her _best friend_. She shouldn’t be nervous around him. She _couldn’t_ be. There was _no way_ they’d make it to a second date if her tongue was caught behind her teeth the whole night.

But here she was, as prickly as if she thought the world was going to end if she breathed wrong.

There was one thing that had reassured her. That was the look on Barry’s face when he saw her. She knew she’d chosen right in her attire. It had just been a struggle for her to keep her sultry demeanor going when she saw him in a pressed and polished tux.

_Since when did Barry look so hot in a tux?_

She wanted to fan herself.

But that was forty-five minutes ago, and Barry hadn’t said a word to her during the whole carriage ride. Perhaps he’d just been taking in their surroundings, enjoying her presence…enjoying the fact that they were together now. The fact that his eyes were glued to the horse on his side of the vehicle didn’t seem to be determining that though. She hadn’t seen what exactly had happened to him with the horse, but whatever it was apparently took priority in his mind on what was supposed to be a very significant night.

“So,” she peeped up, and was so glad she’d been able to pull off nonchalant-casual. “This place is nice, Barry.” She looked around at the classy joint overlooking the water. “What’s the price tag?” She raised an eyebrow.

“ _What_?” he squeaked, and she wondered if she’d gone too far. “What… _price tag_? I mean, I can _afford_ this.”

She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She wanted to correct herself, clear up the misunderstanding, but the possibility that it would make matters worse shut her up again.

…

 

After the dinner at the classy joint that was overpriced as well as overcooked, Barry grudgingly led the way out of the restaurant out onto the street. He took Iris’s hand in his and suggested a stroll through downtown.

It was nice, just the two of them. For awhile.

But he had deliberately taken the route that would go past a little old bakery that sold fresh cut flowers he knew Iris loved. He had planned this specific part of the date out to the tee – for years, if he was being honest. He imagined the flowers he would pick, the bakery he would choose, and how it would be her favorite because he knew her so well. And she would love that he knew it. And they would laugh and smile and stare into each other’s eyes…

But none of that happened, because just as they neared the shop, Barry stopped. There was no need for a grand introduction. A bright red and white FOR SALE sign was being taped to the inside window.

He couldn’t believe it. The ma-and-pa bakery/flower shop combo that had been in business for over _fifty_ years had unexpectedly gone bankrupt.

“What is it, Bear?” Iris nudged him, concerned.

He wished he could somehow prevent her concern, because it only reminded him how much this date was failing. How much his first official date with Iris that was supposed to be perfect…was failing. And it was all on him.

 _Should’ve checked again yesterday_ , he thought to himself, though knew he wouldn’t have, even if someone had told him to. Or maybe he wouldn’t have believed that this place was truly _gone_. It had survived for so long and through so many financial hardships. The possibility that it was actually susceptible to collapse just hadn’t occurred to him.

“Oh man…wasn’t that the place that used to…”

He nodded, wishing he’d said something before she could take notice of what he was staring at.

“Too bad.” She frowned. “I would’ve liked to—”

“Me too,” he cut in, and then sped away with her in his arms before she could say another word.

…

 

Iris knew before they arrived that this part of the date – the last part, maybe? – that whatever Barry had planned wasn’t going to go smoothly.

They arrived on the pristine beach. She could see far across the wide stretch of sand and was honestly surprised that there were so few people around. Then she looked up and understood.

Moments later. Downpour.

They were soaked in an instant, and the only thing in sight was a little shack at the far end of the beach. Barry could easily speed them away to whatever location, but they would only get more wet in the process.

So, he took her to the little building, opened the door wide and then shut it behind her.

There was a window, half-cracked that looked out across the coast. Barry went to it and gazed at the storm building around them. What a mess. He sighed loudly, apparently no longer concerned with keeping up appearances. He leaned his head hard against the window and it fell halfway open.

Iris gasped and ran to where he was standing, trying to pull the fragile frame back into place. It fell out more than once before they managed to put it back in place. When they finished, they both exhaled and sat on the built-in bench beneath the window.

Then, at the same time, they both looked at each other and burst out laughing. Hair their hair was either mussed from the wind or plastered to their face from the rain. There was sand on their feet and a chill setting into their bones, creating shivers running up their spine.

But it was so bad that it was good and they were able to laugh because what else could really go wrong?

“This is the worst date ever,” Barry said, though he was still smiling.

“It certainly doesn’t bode well for the rest of our relationship,” Iris agreed in a fit of giggles.

The laughter subsided and then the smiles did too. When silence set in, Iris reached for Barry’s hand and intertwined their fingers together. Barry reached out with his other hand and tucked wild wet strands of hair behind her ear.

“No one else I’d rather share it with though,” she said in a whisper.

His eyes locked on hers. He felt heat stir inside him when he realized she’d been watching him, and the moment was lost in time.

Barry cradled Iris’s face in his hands and slowly lowered his lips to hers. The barely audible moan that emanated out of her made him deepen the kiss. When she pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, he felt as if he’d been set on fire.

Kissing Iris West set ablaze all his senses.

He knew then that while just about everything else had gone wrong, and this was not exactly how he’d imagined their first _real_ kiss, he wouldn’t change this moment for the world.


	5. Baby Speedsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 5: Barry and Iris’s twins, Dawn and Don, age 5. Barry is at work and Iris is at home watching the kids. The twins are driving Iris crazy, and she calls Barry to help because they are using their speed for the first time. Iris is freaking out. –TheFlashFanatic13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first attempt at writing Barry & Iris as parents, and their twins. Not real aware of how characters are supposed to be or what they do in the comics. I've only heard bits and pieces, and of course, what we've seen in the show. Please keep that in mind. ;)

“You are just the sweetest little baby girl in the whole wide world, aren’t you, Dawn?” Iris cooed, bringing the daisy her daughter had picked from their backyard to her face, so she could smell it.

Dawn, with her big blue eyes and mane of chocolate curls, jumped a little in delight at the compliment.

Iris looked up to see where her other child was located and frowned when she couldn’t spot him anywhere in the vicinity.

“Don?” she called out, pointlessly. Despite her best efforts and wishful thinking that rarely ever paid off, she knew that if her rascal of a son was hiding there was no way he’d simply pop out into the open. “Donald,” she called, hoping the emphasis on his full first name would get his attention. Not so much as a sound.

Iris looked back at her daughter who looked just as confused as she did.

“Do you know where your brother is, Dawn?”

She shook her head, and suddenly that angelic, innocent look on her face appeared anything but.

“Daw—”

The sudden sound of dishes clashing coming from the kitchen alerted Iris. _But how did he…_

She stood to her feet, preparing to take Dawn with her. But when she looked down to where her daughter had been, all she saw was a blur of red that headed in the way of the house.

Iris was still as a statue as she stared at where the blur had gone.

“Oh my god…”

Moments later, she heard shared giggles coming from the same place she’d heard dishes clashing and knew she was in trouble.

…

 

Barry was humming to himself, analyzing the new data he’d been given on a recent file. He was just about ready to insert the new information into the computer when his phone went off, the special tone that only ever meant Iris. He smiled at the phone before hitting speaker.

“Miss me?” he answered, smirking now.

“You have _no_ idea.”

The tone in her voice made him immediately take the phone off speaker and bring it to his ear.

“What is it? Are you alright? Are the kids alright?”

The sound of a crash could be heard in the background.

“ _Iris_. Talk to me. What—”

“Get home _now_.”

“Iris—”

“ _Now_.”

Without a thought, he left the office and sped off as soon as he reached the street.

He flung the door open on reaching home and was startled to find his children racing around the room in streams of red speed, while Iris made a futile attempt to control them.

“Barry,” she said in relief and his eyes focused on her.

He tried to comprehend what was going on but it was somehow lost on him. It had occurred to them before Iris got pregnant that this might be a possible result of conception, but since five years had gone by and there had been no sign of it, they figured it had been a hit and miss.

“ _Barry_!” Iris cried, and he reminded himself to act first, think later. Which was rarely a good idea, but he figured it was wise in this scenario.

In mere seconds he had the children wrapped in rope, pinning their arms against their bodies and securely fastened to their little wood chairs that had previously been knocked over in the living room.

Barry turned to Iris then and found her glaring at him.

“What?” he frowned.

“That was hardly the best solution.” She folded her arms across her chest.

“Tell me what’s going on,” he demanded.

She scoffed, annoyed that he needed it spelled out.

 “Barry, our children are metahumans. Speedsters, to be more correct.”

He glanced at his two struggling children, fighting against the rope.

“I can see that.” He frowned at them.

“It is very _difficult_ to get five year olds to behave when they can simply run away from you.”

Barry turned back at her, saw the desperation and irritation on her face and reeled in his amazement at this new development.

“Right. Right. Okay. I’ll just—”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting doubtfully for his explanation.

“I’ll talk to them,” he said.

“You’ll talk to them,” she repeated neutrally.

He nodded. “Sure. How hard can it be?”

She sighed, reminding herself that she loved him.

“I better be with you when you do that.”

She appreciated he didn’t question her resolution on the subject. He only turned to the twins and walked toward them, crouching so that he was eye level.

“Hey guys, guys—” He laid his hands on them so they would stop struggling. They both looked up at him. “I see you guys found a new ability, huh? You can run fast now?”

They both beamed, frowns instantly gone. Iris rolled her eyes.

“Daddy can run fast too, remember?” In an instant he had run outside and around the house, then upstairs, downstairs and back again. When he was back before them their jaws were dropped in awe, as they often were when they caught him in action.

“But, did you know if you don’t obey mommy you won’t be able to run fast anymore?”

Their eyes widened in horror.

“So you promise you’ll listen to mommy now?”

They both nodded quickly. Don gulped. A smile blossomed across Dawn’s face.

“I promise, daddy,” she said, melting Barry’s heart as she did so.

Satisfied, he stood to his feet and looked at Iris.

“See, there you go.”

She looked at him, amused.

“Yeah, sure, simple enough.”

Barry beamed.

“Now untie them.”

“What?” He looked a little unnerved suddenly, which unbelievably improved Iris’s mood.

“Untie them,” she repeated. “If you’re so sure they’ll listen now, just because you told them to.” She paused, eyeing all three of them down. She focused back on Barry. “Untie them.”

He laughed a little nervously, but did as he was told.

For a few seconds they sat still, but then they were off and running again.

Iris fumed at Barry.

“I don’t hear anything breaking,” he defended.

“No ice cream for a month if you don’t sit in your chairs right _now_!” she yelled loud enough for them to hear her anywhere.

And they were both in the living room again, sitting on their chairs and smiling up at her like the angels they were not.

“ _See_.” Barry beamed again and she hated that he was right. “I told them not to disobey and they didn’t.”

She sighed.

“Call in sick. I’m going to read a book.”

She snatched a novel off the counter in the kitchen and headed back outdoors.

He frowned after her and then looked down at his children, catching them just seconds before they looked back up at him after whispering conspiratorially with each other.

He noticed his son’s feet were also starting to vibrate and his arm was linked around his sister’s elbow.

 _Clever_.

Barry’s eyes narrowed and he took the cell phone out of his pocket to call Joe and ask him to pass the message on to Captain Singh. He could not afford to leave his children alone for a moment with anyone other than himself.


	6. The Cute Factor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 6: Iris visits Joe and Barry with the twins, Dawn and Don. Their first time at the station. Iris visits Joe first. She sees Barry talking to Captain Singh. They go for their lunch break and Captain Singh sees the twins for the first time and he lets Barry take the day off. –TheFlashFanatic13

"Iris!" Joe smiled wide on seeing his daughter – and the two precious little ones she had in a stroller before her.

"Hey dad," she returned the smile and walked over to him, giving him a hug.

"Where's Bar—" She looked around and her eyes landed on her husband who was enduring a lecture from Captain Singh. "Ah."

"Yeah…" Joe looked at his son-in-law, clearly sympathetic. "Barry's been a little behind in his forensic duties and Captain Singh isn't overly thrilled about it."

Iris sighed and shook her head.

"I'll have to reward him later."

Joe turned to look at his daughter, eyebrows raised.

"Do I even want to know?"

Iris ignored the clear suggestion in his underlying tone.

"He's been helping me out with the twins overtime, barely getting any sleep. Then being-" she stopped herself and thought of a way to word it without flat out announcing Barry's superhero identity. They were still in public after all. Anyone could overhear their conversation, regardless of how busy they were or how little they cared.

"His duties to the city," she amended and Joe nodded knowingly. "The remaining energy he has left goes to his work here and it's a little more than he can handle at the moment."

"Understandable," Joe said. "Though…I have to wonder what in the world wears him out about these precious little ones." He unbuckled Dawn from her seat and held her in his arms, making silly faces and odd noises as he did so.

Iris held back a snort. "You mean, aside from only sleeping a few hours and then screaming bloody murder no matter what we did – what  _he's_  been doing – to console them?"

Joe looked at the baby and then at his daughter doubtfully.

" _These_  sweet angels?"

Iris smiled obligingly.

"Those are the ones."

Suddenly Don started crying. Joe looked slightly alarmed, but the situation clearly being that his pacifier had fallen out of his mouth, Iris wiggled it back in and the baby was once again content.

"That didn't seem too difficult," Joe informed her.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's interesting you seem surprised that my children could be difficult. I mean, you had me. Didn't I cry at all hours of the night for no reason?"

He straightened from his position leaning against his desk.

"Not a single peep from you, darling. You were perfect." He kissed the side of her face. "Sometimes I checked on you just to make sure you were still there." He smiled broadly and she rolled her eyes, knowing the lie for what it was, but appreciating the sentiment. "Besides," he continued, rocking a sleepy Dawn in his arms. "Being a grandparent and being a  _parent_  are two different things entirely."

Iris smiled, watching him.

"Of that, I have no doubt."

"Iris," a voice called out from across the room. It was Captain Singh approaching Joe and his daughter. "It's good to see you."

"You as well, Captain Singh," she smiled politely. She glanced briefly at Barry who was behind him and starting to twitch with his need to get out of there.

"It's been awhile," Singh continued.

To which she responded, "Yes, it has," not offering anything more.

Don started to whimper and she turned to address her baby. She unbuckled him from his seat, as Joe had done with Dawn and held him in her arms. When she had consoled her baby and was facing Singh again she was greeted by a dumbstruck expression. It was as if he had never seen a baby before.

"Beautiful children," he remarked, almost stuttering. He only briefly looked over his shoulder at Barry, who forced a smile.

"Thank-you, Captain Singh," Iris said in his stead.

"How…how old are they?" he asked, clearly trying to appear only mildly curious.

"Three months," she said, "it'll be four months next week."

"Four months…" He whistled. "Time does fly, doesn't it?"

"Mmm," she agreed noncommittally.

"I can't believe I've never seen them before," he remarked, and then he smiled. Wide. A  _huge_  smile that took them all by surprise.

"I'm sure you'll see them again," she said, now wanting get out of there herself, and asap. "Barry?" She raised her eyebrows and nudged her head in the direction of the door. "You're on lunch break now, right?"

"Yes," he said, determination bursting out of the intimidation he always had just a little bit of for his boss. He went to stand beside his wife. "I'll have those results sent over to you this afternoon, Captain. I promise." He said it curtly, meant to end the conversation, but Singh seemed mystified by the words coming out of his mouth.

"You know what, Mister Allen? Why don't you take the day off?"

Barry blinked, rendered speechless. He'd  _never_  gotten the day off before.

"Uh, what?"

Iris was grateful he didn't start babbling.

"Thank-you, Captain Singh," she interjected, stepping just a few inches in front of Barry. "That's very kind of you."

"Sure." Singh smiled wide at her appreciation. Joe and Barry shared a look of confusion. "But Mr. Allen," Singh said abruptly, clearing his throat and retreating into his serious, stern mode that he was so well known for. "I expect those results sent to me before lunch tomorrow. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Barry said, peeking out from behind his wife. She stepped back so his assertion could prove more effective.

"Good." Singh cleared his throat again. "Well, I should get going. Very nice seeing you again, Iris."

"You too, Captain Singh." She smiled sweetly as he turned and headed for the door.

He stopped just before going through the entryway and turned to face them again. He seemed suddenly hesitant again, maybe even nervous. Or cautious?

"You'll bring your children in again soon then?"

A wide smile returned her face, a far cry from the masked confusion she'd sported when he resumed their conversation.

"I'd love to."

He nodded curtly, and  _very briefly_ , smiled again.

"Good. I look forward to it."

And then he was out the door, seconds later the elevator closing behind him.

When Iris turned back towards her husband and her father, she wasn't surprised to find the dumbstruck looks on their faces.

"Did he just…" Barry started.

"Mhmm." She took his hand. "Let's get out of here before he changes his mind."

Joe reluctantly put Dawn back in the stroller as Iris did the same with her son. Barry said goodbye to Joe and Iris waved. Just steps away, Barry moved his lips to Iris's ear.

"Thank-you for getting pregnant."

She smiled smugly.

"Thank-you for helping."

"Hey! No talking dirty in the precinct!" Joe called out behind them.

Barry and Iris laughed. It was always so amusing, and yet disturbing, that Joe West always assumed dirty talk was all that whispers between them could mean.

"One of these times, we should actually be talking dirty when he says that," Barry murmured once they reached the elevator.

The doors opened and they stepped inside. Iris shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm up for it if you are."

Barry's eyes widened and he looked at her. Iris didn't look at him, but she was already going through the list of babysitters in her mind. Her husband was definitely getting rewarded tonight.


	7. Is She or Isn't She?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 7: Barry & Iris first learning they're pregnant -Bluedog270

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another prompt that I got two of, so the next one will be this same idea but with a few more concrete details I was initially given.

Iris tossed the test into the trash, aggravated. Her eyes widened when she realized how easily Barry could stumble upon it and went to tie up the garbage bag, trying to ignore how there were four other tests in there with it.

Despite how nearly empty the bag was, she tossed it casually into the garbage can beneath the sink. Then she proceeded to stuff it as far down as she could push it, past all the other grime and the stench, and then neatly arrange said grime and stench so it didn’t look too conspicuous.

Then she washed her hands, thoroughly, and a few times over.

When she was satisfied her hands spelled both clean and with a hint of lavender, she dried them and walked out of the kitchen, collapsing onto the couch as if she’d greatly exhausted herself.

It wasn’t that she didn’t _want_ Barry to know, she reminded herself, as the guilt set in. It was that she wasn’t quite sure herself. It was common knowledge that sometimes pregnancy tests weren’t always accurate but to have them alternate as frequently as all the ones she had done were…

She could only imagine the look of confusion, bordering happiness and disappointment that would come over Barry’s face if she tried to explain the situation.

No. She needed to fix this herself.

She went back up the stairs, snatched her phone off the end table by their bed and dialed, what she deemed, to be a safe source.

“Hey Iris.”

Iris’ brows furrowed.

“Caitlin?” She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the name of who she called. Still frowning, she resumed the call.

“Hello? Iris?” Caitlin asked for about the third time, worry increasing. “Is something wrong?”

“Hi. No. Nothing’s _wrong_ , technically speaking. I just…I thought I was calling Cisco.”

Iris could hear the relief color Caitlin’s voice.

“Oh, you did. You are. I just picked up, because—”

There was a loud clatter in the background, followed by Cisco’s. _Ow._ And Caitlin’s frantic _Cisco, are you alright?_

Iris waited while the two sorted out if any serious bodily injuries were incurred. Cisco claimed there were broken bones. Caitlin assured him there would only be minor bruising, if that.

“Caitlin?” Iris said into the phone. “Is everything alright?” she asked for extra measure.

When Caitlin returned to the phone she was out of breath.

“Yep. Everything’s fine. Cisco just fell over.”

Iris only smiled, due to Cisco’s background defense that was likely cut off by a look from Caitlin.

“Did you need to talk to him?” she asked, and Iris remembered the reason for her call. Given the nature of what she planned to discuss, she wondered if maybe it wasn’t a better idea to confide in a girl first.

“Actually…I think maybe I should talk to you first. Do you have a minute?”

…

 

“This is so exciting.” Cisco was practically doing a happy dance when she arrived hours later. “A baby Barry – _or_ Iris. Right in our lab. Just think of all the things we can teach it – him, her, I mean.” He cleared his throat.

Iris slanted a glance at Caitlin.

“I see you told a third party after all,” she murmured, thinking _after I specifically told you not to_.

“I know you said not to, but he was very persistent. And besides, he’s the one who will be engineering this magic…test, so he needed to know about it eventually.”

Iris nodded in response. The logic made sense.

“Ok, so…has any progress been made?”

“Well.” Cisco walked away from them to grab something at the desk on the far end of the room. “We can try all manner of things, but first I suggest you take this.” He handed her a stick very similar to the ones she’d used in recent days.

“This just looks like a regular pregnancy test.”

“Oh, it is,” Caitlin confirmed. “But, once used, it will have your DNA on it. We can use that to not only determine if you’re pregnant, but also maybe why the other tests were so erratic before.”

Cisco stepped in. “Say, for instance if you were carrying—”

“A metahuman,” Iris finished.

Cisco tried to be somber but the possibility leapt into a barely contained smile on his face.

“There is that possibility, yes.”

Iris rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk towards the nearest bathroom when she – and the two lab techies came face to face with a familiar figure.

“Barry.”

He looked at her with a smug, yet suspicious gaze.

“You know, I may not have super hearing, but…I did notice how strangely neat our garbage can looked when I went to throw away a candy wrapper today.” Both Cisco and Caitlin raised their brows at that.

“As I’m sure all of you know,” he spared a glance to his friends standing a few feet away. “I am not a neat person. I can be organized when I want to, but if something particularly tidy, it is likely because my lovely wife, _Iris_ ,” he gave her a suspicious grin, “has been involved in some way.”

Iris said nothing, but she should’ve seen it coming.

Barry produced the garbage bag of pregnancy tests she’d shoved to the bottom of their kitchen garbage can.

“Care to explain, _dear_?”

Caitlin grimaced as some goo from some other source dripped off the plastic bag.

The silence was so thick and so daunting, Cisco and Caitlin dared not move. Iris and Barry stared down each other as if they were drawing pistols at dawn, but there was also vulnerability there. As expected, Barry caved first.

“Why didn’t you _tell_ me?” he nearly whined. He dropped the bag on the ground and Caitlin cringed. “I have waited for this day almost as long as I’ve waited to marry you. I don’t know if you had some special surprise in mind, but—”

“I don’t know if I’m pregnant, Barry!” she exclaimed, needing to set the record straight. His look of confusion made her wish the one time in his life he decided to be observant wasn’t for this particular occasion.

“Huh?”

She sighed.

“I called to meet with Cisco and Caitlin, because every test I’ve taken has gone back and forth between pregnant, and…not pregnant. I figured if anyone could find a straight forward answer, it’s them, given that they have the technology to detect anything involved  with…”

“Metahumans.” Barry paled and nearly fell over. Caitlin rushed a chair over to him just before he collapsed.

“It was always going to be a possibility, Barry,” Cisco informed him. “I mean, the speedforce isn’t just an extra asset. It’s a part of your DNA. It’s in your bloodstream. Just because Iris doesn’t have that doesn’t mean that when you two—”

“Cisco,” she scolded him.

“What? Did you not have the baby talk, Caitlin?” She rolled her eyes at him. “Because I’d be more than happy to explain it to you. You see—”

“No. That won’t be necessary. Thank-you.” Her forced smile made him shut up right away. When he looked back at Barry and Iris, they both looked more amused than he would have liked.

“Go take your test, Mrs. _West-Allen_ ,” he urged her away. “We’ll take the next steps when you get back.”

Iris smirked but went to find the bathroom, forcing Barry to stay put every time he tried to come with her.

…

 

“Well?” Iris asked, propped up on the medical bed as Caitlin and Cisco poured over the results of the DNA she’d handed over carefully.

They both looked up at her after nodding in finality at each other. They snuck a glance at Barry whose pacing had suddenly stopped. He looked nervous as hell but desperate for an answer.

Cisco took on a professional air.

“While at this state, we cannot determine if there are metahumans inside you…”

“You are _definitely_ pregnant,” Caitlin beamed, brushing off the offended look Cisco gave her due to her delivering the news.

A smile lit up Iris’s face, joy bubbling over. She turned to look at where Barry had been but he was suddenly right beside her.

“We’re gonna be a dad,” he said. Then closed his eyes at the slip of his tongue.“ _I_. I am going to be a dad. And you are going to be—”

“A mother,” she said, giggling as she pushed herself up and then jumped down to stand next to him. “Yes.”

Caitlin and Cisco were giving them heart eyes from where they stood, but Barry and Iris didn’t notice.

“Are you happy about this? Are you good?” Barry urged suddenly, not wanting to be overjoyed if she wasn’t even a little.

Iris bit her bottom lip and ran her fingers along the side of her husband’s face. Then she nodded her confirmation.

“Happier than anything,” she whispered.

Barry spun her around once excitedly, and then he kissed her.


	8. Worth the Risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 8: Iris finds out she's pregnant just when Barry gets hurt by a metahuman. -Anon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely FAILED at making this a short drabble. Hope you'll forgive me. Ha.

_Warm arms wrapped around her and a familiar nuzzling pressed into her neck, tickling the small hairs there standing on end from goosebumps. Legs intertwined with hers and she felt herself sink into the embrace, wondering if she would ever get used to waking up like this any morning._

_Still, she couldn’t help but tease, “Are you trying to hump me or have you mistaken me for a body pillow?”_

_Barry’s eyes flashed open, and for a moment his brain went blank._

_Finally, he uttered an “uhh…” and Iris giggled. She turned around in his arms, her eyes laughing and her hand tangling in his messy locks._

_“Morning, sunshine.” She pulled his head down and kissed him. When she drew back, she breathed hotly over his face._

_Barry wrinkled his nose. “That was on purpose.”_

_Iris couldn’t stop smiling, and because that smile never ceased to put him in a trance, he was soon smiling too._

_The sound of an alarm broke the moment between them. Iris groaned and Barry hastily shut it off._

_“We can just forget—”_

_“I wish,” Iris cut him off. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and started to untangle herself from the sheets and blankets. “I have to get ready for work.”_

_But in the next split second, they were both naked and in the shower and Barry’s grin spread from ear to ear._

_“Well,” she said, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. “That certainly speeds things up.”_

_Barry, still smiling, lowered his head and kissed her. After a few moments, Iris lifted her head._

_“I do actually have to shower though. With soap and stuff.”_

_Barry nodded his head and then lowered his lips to hers again. She pulled back._

_“And it can’t take like an hour.”_

_He started to lower his head and she put and hand over it._

_“I’m serious, Barry.”_

_His grin was so sexy then she almost wanted to take back her requirements for him showering with her._

_“I’m the Flash, baby.” He winked. “I know how to get things done.”_

_Her heart raced, and she was rendered speechless. She let him kiss her then, let him press his body flush up against hers and pin her to the shower wall, let his hands grope and his mouth wander, let him have his way with her and hope they got out of there on time._

That was a month ago.

Now she was staring at a pregnancy stick with a big plus sign on it in bold that reminded her loud and clear how they had completely foregone protection that morning.

“This is good, Iris,” she told herself aloud, glad for once that Barry had flashed off in a hurry and she’d muttered something about heading over to STAR Labs in case she was needed, to which he quickly said she was always was. Her heart would’ve thumped wildly, as it always did, but the lump in her throat prevented the usual reaction.

She’d purchased the test the night before on a whim, telling herself how they’d most definitely need it in the future, so why not get one now? But that had been a lie. She’d remembered that lack of protection and was precisely two days late for her period, which never happened. In her paranoid state, she’d bought that pregnancy test and taken it. She’d been very grateful he was sound asleep when she did it, so she wouldn’t have to pretend she hadn’t done something monumental. He was in such a hurry the next morning that he didn’t suspect a thing when Iris, horrified only five minutes after he left, noticed the drawer she’d shoved the stick in just before going to bed, was slightly pulled open.

It had been hard to sleep after the big plus sign had rocked her world, and it was hard to concentrate now.

A baby was something exciting, something amazing, and part of her was very excited. She could already envision the look on Barry’s face when she told him. His eyes would glow and he’d smile so wide his cheeks hurt. And then she would smile, because he was smiling and then they would have sex to celebrate.

But she had other emotions too – _were they ready for this?_ The pregnancy was completely unplanned. They both had jobs, not to mention Barry was also a superhero with constant danger surrounding him and anyone close to him. She would be even more vulnerable while pregnant, and then their children… _Child_ , she corrected herself, not wanting jinx her paranoia with more than she could handle.

And then – right then, her phone buzzed and she picked it up on seeing the caller ID: _Barry_.

“Hey, babe,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“Iris…” she heard him gasping, but it wasn’t directly into the phone. “You have to tell Iris.”

“Barry?” She clutched the phone, eyes widening in fear and her breathing as scarce as his. She could hear people in the background, but she couldn’t tell who the voices belonged to – _Cisco maybe? Caitlin?_

_“Come on, Barry, work with me, here – Cisco, help me.”_

_“Right, right, coming.”_

Definitely Cisco and Caitlin.

“Hello?” she said into the phone but knew it was useless. Cisco and Caitlin were obviously unaware that Barry had even called someone, let alone that it was her. Their priority was getting her _husband_ somewhere safe and tending to him.

 _Which was good_ , she told herself. _Very good_.

Not knowing exactly what damage had been done though was driving her crazy.

She wondered if it was pregnancy hormones kicking in.

Regardless, she kept the phone on, just in case anyone decided to talk into it before it dropped and got into her car. She broke speed limits getting to STAR Labs, hoping beyond anything else that’s where they were. _They had to be there, right? Where else would they go for a Barry-related injury?_

She swallowed hard just thinking of what terrible pain he might be in. Reminding herself that he healed very quickly somehow didn’t make her feel any better.

When she reached the familiar building, she ran inside, decided against the elevator because she’d be way too antsy just standing inside. Taking the stairs proved regrettable though, given how high up in the building the main lab was.

Finally, she burst in to the medical lab and found Caitlin wrapping up Barry’s wounds while Cisco stared in awe at the needle-like items that Caitlin had probably pulled out of Barry.

“Iris,” Barry breathed, his eyes wide in shock. “What are you—”

After both Cisco and Caitlin turned to see Iris nearly sprinting toward them, Barry started to get up and Caitlin forced him back down.

“Not finished yet,” she scolded. “You heal fast, but that’s not a good thing with these things inside you.”

Barry didn’t argue, though Iris could see it was difficult for him. Instead he switched his gaze to her.

“It’s not as bad as it look,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows and held up her phone.

“Really? Because from what I could hear, you were on your death bed.”

Heartbreak broke across his face and she immediately regretted her outburst. She closed her eyes, counted to ten and looked back up at him.

“But you’re okay now?”

He nodded and swallowed. “Sorry. You just…said you wanted to know if anything—” Iris nodded. She remembered. “Right away.”

Cisco interrupted the tense moment.

“Dude, you could’ve told us you called her.”

“Certainly would’ve kept her from panicking the twenty minutes it took her to drive here,” Caitlin muttered under her breath.

Iris shook her head, deciding she was being ridiculous.

“No, it’s fine, guys. I know Barry heals fast. I shouldn’t have overreacted.”

“Completely normal,” Caitlin said. “We worry about Barry all the time and we have been seeing him heal fast from day one.”

“Plus, there are always exceptions,” Cisco added. “Like…that other time needles got stuck in him.”

“General Eiling,” Barry interjected, sitting up the second Caitlin was finished bandaging him up. “Don’t remind me.” He came to Iris and took her hands in his own, holding her gaze so intensely so he knew he had her full attention. “I’m okay, Iris.”

She sighed and nodded, forcing a smile. “I know.”

He brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it.

“You okay?”

Her smile turned lopsided. “Yeah,” she told him and pulled his head down to kiss her. Barry fought to catch his breath when she released him. “Yeah, I’m definitely okay.” She grinned wide, enjoying his dazed expression that forever resulted from her kissing him.

It dawned on her then that Cisco and Caitlin had moved away from them, discussing the new metahuman – Cisco contemplating the name ‘porcupine man’ and Caitlin fiercely being against it. Cisco conceded it wasn’t the best he’d come up with and collapsed onto a chair to think of a different one while Caitlin continued analyzing the data.

“What is it?” Barry asked, no doubt curious as to the amused look on her face. He started to turn towards where her attention had been drawn to, but Iris set her hand on his face and made him look at her.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Okay…” he said, and she could tell he wasn’t sure whether to be anxious or elated.

She gestured toward the hall and he followed her into it, both ignoring how Caitlin and Cisco’s voices suddenly stopped as they were exiting the room.

“What is it?” he asked, concern coloring his face more and more the farther she drew him away. “Iris...you’re making me nervous.”

She stopped them finally and cleared her throat.

“Do you remember…” she began hesitantly, “about a month ago, when we had that…impromptu…shower in the morning?”

She could see the wheels in his mind turning and then the exact moment they clicked to the right memory. He started to smile a little and then attempted to subdue since he could tell she was introducing serious, not flirty.

“Mhmm,” he said, looking as innocent as he could.

She resisted the urge to playfully smack him.

“Well, then you should also remember that it was a month ago, and how…we didn’t exactly…you know.”

The pause was long, but the loud, “Ohh!” from him that followed resounded in the halls.

“Barry,” she whispered heatedly. “Be quiet.”

“Sorry,” he whispered back. “But, why?”

“Because,” she kept whispering, “well…what do you think?”

“You’re pregnant, right?” he asked, his voice just a hitch above a whisper.

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes her man was so smooth and sometimes he floundered all over himself.

He closed his eyes. “You wanted to tell me, didn’t you?” He sighed before she could answer. “Of course you did. I’m sorry, Iris. I wasn’t thinking. I just—”

She kissed him so he would stop babbling.

“Yes, I’m pregnant,” she confirmed after she’d pulled away and nudged his chin up so his mouth closed. “Tell me your thoughts.”

“My thoughts?”

“You’re making this painful, Barry.”

He stared at her, bereft of speech. Just as she was about to get annoyed again, or start to worry, a look of awe and wonder appeared on his face and her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

“You’re really pregnant?” Absolute bliss colored his voice and a smile exploded across her face.

She nodded, biting her bottom lip.

“I’m ecstatic.” He grinned. “I’m absolutely…” He kissed her passionately to say what words could not. “I’m so…” he said between kisses. “So, so happy.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she babbled in between kisses too.

“Really?” A kiss. “You’re okay with it?” Another kiss.

“Mhmm,” he assured her. A kiss.

“Cause we’re totally” – another kiss – “unprepared. It wasn’t planned at all, and—”

He kissed her long and deep and they didn’t speak for a long time.

Finally, breathless, he pulled away, tucked locks of hair behind her ears and cradled her face in his hands.

“We’ll figure it out, Iris.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and nuzzled her nose.

“Okay,” she said on a dreamy sigh.

“You’re good with it?” he asked, trailing a finger down her neck.

She nodded.

“I am if you are.”

He smiled.

“Baby Allens.”

Iris giggled, then pulled back and looked into his eyes, running her hands through his hair.

“I’m so ready to have a baby with you, Barry Allen.”

His smile stretched wide again and so did hers. They started heading back toward the lab, eager to tell Cisco and Caitlin the good news, but when they arrived they found the two beaming at them just inside the entrance.

“Congratulations!” Caitlin came forward and hugged Iris tightly, taking her completely by surprise. “We heard you over the intercom.”

“I am so proud of you,” Cisco hugged Barry tight, holding on perhaps a minute too long.

“Thanks, Cisco…” Barry said, tapping his friend lightly on the back when he wouldn’t let go.

“Forgetting protection,” Cisco continued in admiration. He pulled back and squeezed Barry’s shoulders. “Best way to go.”

Barry looked at him strangely and then nodded and laughed, since words wouldn’t come. He let Caitlin hug him and watched in amusement as Iris exchanged a similar set of words with Cisco. After a few more minutes of many congratulations, Barry and Iris left STAR Labs hand in hand. When they got into Iris’s car, she paused just before setting her gear into reverse.

“What is it?” he asked, and she turned to look at him.

“It’ll be dangerous, you know,” she told him. “More than before. Me – _pregnant_. That makes me an even bigger target to your enemies. And an actual _child_. They will be at risk too.”

He sighed and nodded. “I know.”

“That doesn’t worry you?” she asked, worry seeping into her voice.

“It does,” he said and then looked at her. “But it was going to happen eventually, Iris. No way I wasn’t going to have kids with you just because of the risk.” He held his hand up to the side of her face. “I’m done being the guy that pushes people away or doesn’t do something because there might be danger involved. Why should I stop living my life just because some metahumans or a megavillain wants to ruin it? That’s only letting them win, and I won’t do it anymore.”

Joy and relief washed over her, clearing out any panic or worry or fear that had come with the knowledge of being pregnant before. Together she and Barry could conquer anything. Their kids would grow up believing anything was possible and with the strongest, most devoted parents in the world.

Iris pulled Barry close and kissed him.

“I love you, Barry Allen.”

He nuzzled her again.

“Me too, Iris West.”

“ _Allen_ ,” she added, her eyes sparkling when they parted. The look on his face gave her butterflies, because she almost always emphasized the _West_ and not the _Allen_. “West- _Allen_.”

His smile grew. “How could I forget?”

“That I belong to you?” she asked, deliberately not caving to looking into his adoring eyes tinted with a brewing heat. “I don’t know,” she continued, putting on the façade of genuine curiosity. “Must be the whole _being-a-father_ now thing.”

She giggled and pulled him close for another kiss.


	9. Birthday Prep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 9: The twins first birthday -Bluedog270

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I floundered a bit trying to get more than a couple paragraphs out for a bday party drabble, so this is mostly the before & after. Hope you still enjoy though. :)

"The Vibemeister has arrived," Cisco announced, walking through the front door when he discovered it was unlocked. When no one came to greet him, he raised his voice a little louder. "I bring gifts!"

Rapid footsteps sounded from upstairs but a very angry Iris West-Allen turned out to be the source of them. Cisco backstepped till he hit the closed front door and swallowed.

“What are you doing raising your voice at this hour?” she demanded, her voice a heated whisper.

“I…” he gulped. “Isn’t there a party today for—”

He was interrupted by loud wailing coming from upstairs. Iris closed her eyes in despair.

“I got it,” a tired Barry called from somewhere near where the sound emanated.

Cisco’s brows furrowed in confusion. Iris’s forced fake smile shone when he looked back at her and he knew he was in trouble.

“We just got the twins to sleep,” she informed him.

“You mean from—”

“Last night, yes. Roughly seven pm.”

“But that would mean… You haven’t slept at all? They haven’t… Whoa.”

Under different circumstances, Iris would have been amused.

“Is the party still today?”

Her smile dropped and evil glared out of her eyes. She pulled him away from the door, opened the door, and pushed him outside onto their front walk.

“Wait, Iris, _Iris_ —” He put his arm out when she tried to shut the door in his face. “Let’s talk about this. Should I bring food? I mean, I brought presents…”

“Goodbye, Cisco.”

“Iris!” His voice was louder, which got him one quick glare before she shut the door.

But just before she was about to return to the nursery to relieve Barry of his duties, since he’d technically been the last one to attempt to put their children back into the very fragile slumber they’d been in since last the night before, she heard the last of Cisco’s protests.

“I could babysit!”

She thought about it – once, twice, then with a “what the hell” muttered under her breath, she turned around and opened the door again.

“With Caitlin.” It wasn’t a question. Cisco just didn’t look baby-proof.

“But…she might not even be up yet.”

Iris hadn’t even checked what time it was, but from glancing around their front yard, it was obvious the sun had been out for awhile.

“With Caitlin or you’re uninvited.”

Cisco’s jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t.”

 _Oh, wouldn’t I?_ written plain on her face, Cisco’s shoulder slumped and he nodded.

“Just…just let me call her.”

A smug smile on her face, Iris stepped back into the house and closed the door behind her. She allowed herself to breathe easy for a moment, until—

“Iris?”

She opened her eyes and looked towards the stairs. She couldn’t see her husband but she could hear the weariness in his voice. She could feel how exhausting it would be just to climb the stairs.

“Coming,” she managed, and started the trek up the mountain to the great beyond.

…

Four hours later, Iris stood in front of the mirror, applying a dark shade of lipstick and her new flawless mascara that accented her eyes. Barry came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms, ducking his face into her neck for warmth.

She was tempted to tell him to get off so she could finish getting ready, but those four hours of sleep had done wonders – for both of them, so she let him cuddle and even succumbed to it a bit herself.

“I wish people weren’t coming over,” he murmured.

She laughed. “It’s the twins’ first birthday.”

“I know, but this is the first decent sleep we’ve gotten in weeks.”

“Four hours,” she deadpanned.

“In a _row_ ,” he emphasized.

She chuckled. “I know.” And then sighed. “I know.”

“I wish we’d been pretending to be tired, so we could have…” She felt his adam’s apple move against her neck. “You know…”

A sly smirk moved onto her ruby lips.

“Instead?” She raised her eyebrows, a mischievous look in her eyes and waited for him to catch her gaze. When he did, she almost cancelled the party for what his mere blush did to her.

“Well.” She cleared her throat and then turned around, finding him still only in his t-shirt and boxers. “I highly doubt Cisco and Caitlin will take the kids again after the party, but maybe I can convince my dad to.”

Her grin widened when the hopeful look appeared in his eyes.

“Then…” She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and midway down his chest. “Maybe we can…you know…”

He swallowed, his eyes dark with lust when she looked back up at him after admiring his physique. She leaned in enough so that their lips almost touched but not quite.

“And then we can sleep even longer.”

She laughed when he tried to kiss her and ended up floundering over the space she vacated when he tried to do so.

“Get dressed,” she ordered as she left the bathroom. “ _Later_ ,” she added, her voice sultry with the promise of a reward to come.

Barry stepped into the shower and adjusted the temperature to cold.

…

 

Half an hour later, a very tired and barely put together Cisco arrived again on Barry and Iris’s doorstep. In return, Iris looked immaculate and not pissed off this time. Caitlin wiggled her way past a frozen Cisco with a casserole dish in her hands.

“I hope you don’t mind that I brought…”

Iris smiled pleasantly. “Not at all. But when did you have time to make—”

“I made it last night actually. Was just putting the finishing touches on when Cisco called to tell me we’d be babysitting the Allen children this morning.”

There was a slightly higher pitch to Caitlin’s voice but Iris decided not to pursue it.

“Where…are…my children…by the way?” She took the casserole out of Caitlin’s hands and carried it into the kitchen.

“In the car,” Caitlin assured her, following only a little. “They slept on the way here.”

Cisco scoffed, emitting sound for the first time since he’d arrived the second time that day.

“For the last five minutes,” he mumbled.

Caitlin rolled her eyes but smiled fondly.

“Your children are adorable. And so, so easy to take care of.” At this Cisco turned his head slowly and looked at his friend in disbelief. She appeared unaware. “Cisco entertained them in the car until they slept.”

Iris tried not to smile. “From the front seat?” she asked innocently.

“Oh no, of course not.” Caitlin laughed. “He sat in between them in the back.”

Iris bit her bottom lip and the smile slipped out.

“Cisco, Caitlin, hey!” Barry smiled warmly as he came down the stairs to greet them. He stopped and analyzed his friend’s face for a moment before turning to Iris. “Cisco, does he look a little like…”

“A little like you did before – I can hear you,” Cisco said loudly.

Barry and Iris only turned to grin at him.

“I’ll go get the kids,” Barry said and was out the door. Caitlin followed Iris into the kitchen to help with final party preparations, and Cisco stood there numb for the next five minutes before finally making his way into the living room and collapsing on the couch until the other party guests started to arrive.

…

The party was a huge hit. Both Dawn and Don looked adorable and everyone that had shown up said so. Neither had a temper tantrum – due to the sleep they’d had a lot of earlier in the day, Caitlin had claimed – which was a bonus as far as Barry and Iris were concerned.

The food was good. The cake eating – and frosting face-smashing by Dawn to her brother – was humorous and all gifts were well received. By the time people started trickling out, both children were asleep in their swings and Joe was telling Iris how he’d be more than happy to take his grandchildren home with him for the rest of their birthday.

Cisco had livened up sometime during the events but he was still determined to nap when he got home. Caitlin offered to drive him so he wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. He made a quiet mention to her about never arriving at the Allen’s house in the early morning for any occasion, to which she just smiled and nodded and hugged their hosts goodbye.

“You…you have great kids.” Cisco forced a smile.

Iris returned it but far more genuinely. “Thank-you, Cisco. I look forward to you babysitting them in the future. Maybe I was too hasty in assuming you couldn’t handle them on your own.”

Cisco laughed nervously, said nothing more and left the house. Caitlin followed. When they were gone there were no other cars but Barry & Iris’s in front of their house.

Iris slipped out of her party heels and turned around to find the house speedily cleaned up in a flash of whirring red. When it came to a stop, Barry stood before her, a little out of breath but with a sappy smile. She smiled widely in return.

“What did I ever do to deserve such a fantastic husband?” she asked airily, still beaming.

“Well, I don’t know, Iris, I mean—”

But he never got to finish his sentence, because Iris suddenly closed the distance between them, her lips sensually firm and moist against his. He opened his mouth for her and she pushed against his shoulders till he was stumbling backwards onto the living room couch. There she proceeded to devour him with kisses. He groaned in response, pulling her closer as she squirmed on his lap.

Barry decided Cisco should show up early more often.


	10. Out of Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 10: Joe’s first time watching the twins –Bluedog270

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a westallen drabble tbh, but they're obviously indirectly involved, so I allowed the request.

“It’ll be fine, Iris,” Joe said cheerfully, rocking baby one in his arms whilst baby two sat in her car seat at his feet.

Iris remained unconvinced, but when she tried to open her mouth to voice her objections a third time, he interjected.

“Iris. I raised you, didn’t I?”

His pitch went higher than intended, so she held herself in check with a forced smile and very subtle nod.

“Yes, dad, you did,” she managed.

“And Barry!”

“Yep, me too.” A wide-eyed Barry said before Iris could shut down the declaration.

“Dad…”

Joe sighed.

“They’re only two weeks old. You haven’t had to take care of one baby since I was that young, let alone _two_.”

“Iris—”

“And Barry didn’t come to live with us until he was eleven years old. _Definitely_ not the same thing as two-week old infants.”

Joe’s sigh was paired with a look bordering on hurt.

“Iris.” Barry this time.

She turned to look at him, her face still as fierce as ever but it softened a little when she saw the concern in his eyes.

“I know you’re worried, but…” He cupped her elbows in his hands and pulled her closer. “He’s your dad. Trust him.” He glanced up to look at Joe watching their conversation. “He knows what he’s doing.”

Iris turned around again, gave her father a once-over and finally said, “Okay.”

Barry tried to tone down his sigh of relief, but knew he’d only escaped suspicion because his wife was approaching her father, determination still tensing every inch of her body in near vibrations.

“This is their first time away from either of us,” she informed him, as if he didn’t know.

“I know, baby,” Joe tried to calm her.

Given that she’d already agreed to let her father babysit for the two hours neither she nor Barry could be present for their children, Iris relented bullying her father further and instead tended to her children with final cooing goodbyes.

Miraculously, Barry was able to pull her away, giving Joe a nod of assurance and gratitude just before they got in their car and drove away.

Heaving a sigh, Joe looked down at baby one in his arms and then baby two on the floor. _Don and Dawn_ , he reminded himself, though Iris’s insistence that the children shouldn’t be forced into gender specific colors made them hard to differentiate at this age.

“Come on guys.”

He picked up the carrier and brought it inside, closing the front door behind him.

…

To his credit, by the time Barry and Iris returned to pick up their two very young children, Joe was perfectly composed. He even managed a smile.

Barry’s “ _see, I told you he had it under control_ ,” to Iris, reassured Joe that he could hold his own when it came to little white lies. Either that or his son-in-law understood the situation for what it was and was concerned for his father-in-law’s safety, should Iris jump to the correct conclusions.

But that wasn’t an issue, since Iris was too consumed with getting her children back that she didn’t take the time to analyze if her father was being particularly honest about how the last two hours had been spent.

Because they’d been a little like this…

After closing the door behind him and making it to the living room, Joe had come to the conclusion that he didn’t know what to do next. Both children were asleep, so he didn’t need to tend to them. He didn’t really know if they were light or heavy sleepers, but he assumed Dawn – the baby still in her carrier was, since she hadn’t woken in the time it took to get from the front step to the living room. Don was still in his arms sleeping.

Joe considered his options. Couch, upstairs bed, carrier that Barry had placed somewhere on the first floor or Joe would just keep holding him. At the time, he told himself he wasn’t panicking over the fact that he had too many options to choose from, but in hindsight he’d known that had been the start.

Couch had seemed easiest, so after gently setting the carrier containing Dawn on the floor near the TV, he proceeded to lay Don very carefully down on the couch.

“There,” he’d murmured, a smile twitching at his lips, “that wasn’t so bad. Iris was worried for nothing.” He chuckled lightly and left the room to search for the baby supplies Barry had set somewhere and neglected to tell him, but before he’d taken two steps into the hall, he heard the emerging of a tiny baby wail.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he tried to soothe, coming over to the baby he’d left on the couch. Don was inconsolable. Joe rocked him and murmured what he hoped were sounds that would calm him, but it was no use. Thanking the heavens for the deep sleeper that was Dawn Allen, Joe took Don with him into the other room, continuing to rock the crying child as he searched amongst the heap of baby supplies he’d managed to find.

“Shh, shh,” he repeated over and over. There were moments when that worked, but at one point, when Joe ducked down to pull out some diapers and burping cloths, he ended up reeling back, sending Don into an all out screech.

That woke up Dawn in the other room. She wasn’t quite as volatile, but now Don was _screaming_.

Frantically, Joe searched the rest of the supplies for the bottles of milk that his daughter and son-in-law had dropped off, because that _had_ to be a good solution. But he couldn’t find them anywhere and so returned to the living room, hoping to encourage Dawn back to sleep somehow with her very upset brother in his arms.

To his great luck, when she saw him, she actually smiled and started to settle down. But when he sighed in relief, her eyes suddenly flickered over to her brother and she started crying in reaction to his crying.

Sweat appeared on Joe’s brow.

He pulled out the blanket sitting on the arm of the couch and spread it over the couch. Then he laid Don on it, unbuckled Dawn from her carrier and put her in his arms and started rocking her. He went with her in the kitchen, hoping that losing sight of her brother would get her to calm down. When he reached the refrigerator a light went off in his head and he opened the door wide.

“Milk bottles,” he said reverently.

He took two out and prepared them one-handed. Dawn watched with rapt attention, but when Joe turned back to the living room and she was greeted with the sight of her brother wailing, she started to cry as well.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no…”

It took the remainder of that hour to calm them both down, get them bottle fed and back to sleep. Dawn woke up once more, a little cranky because of a smelly diaper, but once that was dealt with she spent the rest of her time wrapping her little hand around Joe’s pinky finger while she lay in her carrier.

Joe was on edge throughout that last fifty minutes, every second since Don had first broken out into a crying rampage if he was being honest, but he had to admit there was something very beautiful and peaceful and compelling about watching this tiny baby girl stare up into his eyes as if she’d never seen something so wonderful in her life.

Still, he was glad when his daughter and her husband arrived back on the scene. And just before they both left, Joe pulled Barry to the side.

“Ok, don’t tell Iris, but—”

“I know,” Barry said, and then cracked a grin.

“You do?” He looked panicked.

He laughed. “I won’t tell her.” He patted Joe on the back. “We’re all learning, Joe.”

And to that Joe smiled. “Right, yeah. Of course.”

Barry winked and turned back to help Iris get their babies settled in the back seat of the car in their car seats.

Joe waved cheerfully to them, but as soon as they were gone, he went back into the house and collapsed on the couch. Breathing deeply, he slowly regained his composure.

Then his phone buzzed.

Without thinking, he answered, “Detective West.”

And then he smiled, which should’ve felt very wrong, considering Captain Singh was informing him of another crime that had just been committed.

“I’ll be right there,” he said, ending the call and slinging his jacket over his shoulder.

 _Anything_ , he decided, would be easier right now than his very recent experience with grandbabies one and two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really satisfied with this one, but it's the best I got. Also, I firmly believe Joe will be an excellent babysitter. But two babies? Not really babysitting since Iris was that young? You can’t tell me he would’ve been an expert that first time around. XD


	11. Escape into Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11: Barry & Iris on their honeymoon –Bluedog270

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple snippets into Barry & Iris's honeymoon.

“Do you think everyone will be alright?” Iris asked, lacing her fingers through his as they sat waiting for the plane to take off.

“What? With me gone?” He raised his eyebrows to which she nodded in response. “Iris, baby.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the silken brown skin. “I think they’ll be okay.”

“A whole week though?” she asked, not for the first time. “Hawaii isn’t exactly next door to Central City.”

“It’s not as if we’re leaving the city defenseless. Your dad is still there, with the rest of the very capable CCPD. And with no big bad villain roaming the streets…I think they’ll be okay.”

It was her turn to raise her eyebrows.

“Even if all that fails the city in the span of one week, they’ve still got Wally.”

“Barry.”

“I know you think he’s a baby-”

“I didn’t say that.”

He was unconvinced. “You kinda did.”

She sighed, leaning back in her seat, and closed her eyes. Her good-bye to Wally had been less than cozy due to his declaring he could protect the city while they were gone and her blatantly rounding on his with an – absolutely not. She’d said it lightheartedly with a laugh, but he’d very clearly seen the serious demand in her eyes and now she wondered if there wasn’t just a little bit of her father in her after all.

“He thinks he can just step in, do whatever you do when you’re not around.” Her eyes opened and she turned to look at him. “But he just got his—” She silenced herself as a flight attendant walked past their seats, then continued. “His…. _special abilities_. Two days ago in fact. He’s not exactly an expert.”

“No…” he allowed, but she cut him off before he could continue.

“And you told me after the fact that it wasn’t easy for you in the beginning. There were a lot of hard lessons you had to learn early on.”

“Yeah, like that I had to eat a lot more, so I didn’t pass out, and that I always made sure to take my clothes with me, otherwise I’d end up stuck in only my suit anywhere I ran off to. Plus, it’s not exactly as if he’s alone, Iris. Cisco and Caitlin practically live at STAR Labs. You couldn’t count on two better people to help out with any possible crisis metahuman related,” Barry lowered his voice as a couple people walked past them to find their seats. He smiled politely and then turned back to his newlywed wife. “They’re dedicated to the cause, and before you say it – Cisco loves Wally’s suit almost as much as he loves mine.”

“More I think,” she teased.

Barry narrowed his eyes. “That’s reaching a little bit, don’t you think?”

She smiled, but said nothing more on the subject.

“Just relax, Iris. Forget Central City for one week, I beg of you.”

She laughed.

“Only for you, Barry Allen.”

She cupped his face in her hands and pulled him closer till their lips met in a sweet kiss that left them just one breath away from wishing they weren’t on a plane full of people.

“Mmm, Mrs. West-Allen, you taste delicious,” he murmured.

She playfully swatted at him, then relaxed in her seat.

“One week in Hawaii, huh?”

He nodded.

She sighed contently.

“I think I can live with that.”

…

 

Iris dipped her foot in the water and slowly moved it back and forth beneath the surface. She felt someone approaching from behind her and then sit next to her along the edge of the pool.

“Hey,” she said, turning to look at him, smiling.

“Hey.” He nudged her shoulder. “You’re looking pretty hot in that bathing suit.”

She glanced down and flushed at her barely there bikini.

“I see you didn’t return the favor,” she quipped, giving him a once-over.

His jaw dropped in mock offense.

“Not that I mind,” she teased, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips. He moaned, and then pulled away.

“If you thought I was going to get strapped up in a barely there spandex speedo, you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

She bit her bottom lip and leaned in again.

“I seem to recall a few times you said all you wanted was for me to be happy.”

“Iris…”

“Wouldn’t that then imply that if seeing you in a speedo makes me happy you should do it?”

“ _Iris_.”

She laughed and then plopped into the pool, pulling him in with her second after she’d come up for air.

“Iris!” he squealed. “I was not ready for that!”

She smiled and swam towards the center of the pool, warm fuzzies spreading through her when he followed her without question.

Finally, she turned around and wrapped her legs around his waist when he reached her. She planted a kiss on him that lasted much longer the previous one and left both of them breathless.

“Iris…” he murmured breathily. Then, “ _Iris_!” when felt her dig her toes into the waist band of his swim trunks and drag them as far past his knees as she could manage. She kissed him hard again before responding.

“Remember how much we protested a Hawaii honeymoon that everyone came together and saved up to afford?”

“How much _you_ protested. I didn’t protest very much.”

She smiled against his mouth.

“I think we’re both grateful now though that the final package included this private pool in the backyard of our luxury suite.”

“We’re still outside,” he pointed out, hoping she’d see reason. “And people could…you know, _hear_ us.”

Her smile spread even wider and she kicked her legs till Barry was pressed up against the side of the pool. She silenced his gasp with two fingers across his lips.

“Then you’d better be quiet,” she whispered, teasingly, and lowered herself onto him until she heard him groan.


	12. Toy Store

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 12: Barry and Iris take the twins shopping for toys. They can speak now and they gasp seeing their daddy and uncle Ollie everywhere. They run off to the section and pick out the toys. Then they show them to Oliver. The twins like the Power Rangers more than him. -TheFlashFanatic13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been forever and a day, but I'm finally getting back to fulfilling old requests. This one was much longer than I expected it to be, but it's under 3,000 words, so I'm still allowing it to be considered a drabble. ;P Enjoy!
> 
> *Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing. :)

The peace and quiet was so nice. Snuggled up against her husband, her nose pressed to the soft cloth t-shirt covering his chest, his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close as their blankets warmed every part of them from neck to toe, Iris never wanted to wake up. She’d already emerged from deep sleep to that in between space, but she willed herself not to move beyond that. If Barry wasn’t opening his eyes and stretching his legs beneath the covers – as was his morning ritual – neither would she.

However, she neglected to remember Barry Allen was not the only being in this household who had the ability to force her awake.

With a loud bang their bedroom door swung open and hit the wall.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

“Daddy! Mommy!”

“I’m up, I’m up.” Barry snapped to attention, sitting up in their bed.

Iris groaned, sticking her nose into her pillow and covering her face with her hands.

“No, too early,” she grumbled.

But their darling twins paid no heed, determined in their struggle to lift themselves onto the bed and crawl over to their parents.

“Daddy!” Dawn giggled as she jumped into her father’s arms.

“Hey, beautiful girl,” he cooed. Iris wondered how he could possibly be so cheerful at this hour.

“Momma?” Don crawled towards her, hopeful.

“Oh, whoa, buddy, Mommy’s trying to slee-”

Barry reached to stop him, but Iris knew her time was up. She removed her arm from her face and sat up to face her son, who was looking quite concerned by her lack of involvement.

“Come here, baby boy,” she encouraged, a soft smile on her face.

Hesitantly Don came closer until she could reach for him and set him in her lap. She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Is Momma sick?” he asked, pressing a hand to the side of her face with a sudden smack since he couldn’t reach her forehead.

She grimaced some, but she was still smiling. She took his hand and kissed it too, holding it gently in her hand.

“No, Mommy isn’t sick. Mommy is just tired.”

“Store?” Dawn asked, seated in Barry’s lap but looking at her mother intently.

Iris’ lips parted. “Oh my God…” She locked eyes with Barry. “I forgot.”

“No store?” Don asked, his bottom lip trembling.

Iris looked down at him.

“No, um…of course we’re going to the sto-”

“Iris, I’m meeting with Oliver today,” Barry interjected. “It’s important.”

“So is this!” she insisted, to which he delivered a look. “It’s not my fault you also forgot.”

He sighed testily.

“Bring him with us,” she suggested.

His jaw dropped, but she didn’t correct herself.

“You’re serious.”

“Dead serious. There’s a food court on the far side of the store. We can have lunch there afterwards, since I’m sure the kids are eager to get some toys – like we promised.” She smiled through her teeth, ruffling her son’s curls.

“I suppose I could as-”

“Great! We’re going to the store, kids!” she cheered, suddenly full of energy.

“Yaaay!” the twins cheered, clapping.

“And guess what?” she whispered conspiratorially.

They leaned in, eyes glued to her, eager to hear what she was about to say.

“Uncle Ollie is coming.”

“Uncle Ollie!” They cheered and clapped again.

Barry rolled his eyes and set his daughter onto the bed next to his wife and son.

“I better give him the bad news.”

He grabbed his phone and started to head out the door, pausing at the entrance to catch Iris’ eye which was smug and gloating. He shook his head at her, but then smiled and left her with a wink just as Oliver answered the phone.

“Hey, Oliver, change of plans…”

…

The store was bright, beautiful, huge, and with children running rampant all over the place. Oliver’s eyes widened on seeing the place. Barry and Iris needed a moment or two to adjust, but they could hardly afford more than that as their two rambunctious children were eager to join the bunch.

“Remember what Mommy said,” Iris reminded, somewhat strained. “No running away where we can’t see you.”

“And no leaving the store without us either,” Barry added sternly.

Don and Dawn appeared to not have heard them.

“Hey, kids.”

The two stilled at Oliver’s deeper voice. They turned and looked at him, shocking Barry and Iris into silence.

“Listen to your parents.”

“Yes, Uncle Ollie,” they said, looking down, ashamed at themselves.

Iris glared at him.

“I think we had it covered, Oliver,” Barry said.

Oliver said nothing.

“Frightening them is hardly a solution to the problem,” Iris practically hissed.

“I didn’t frighten them,” he barked back. “I just-” He stopped, sighed, and looked past the judgmental parents.

“What?” Iris dared, but a simple nod of his head let her and Barry know their kids had run off. A sigh escaped her lips, and she went after them with the shopping cart. “Don, Dawn, don’t run off,” she pleaded. To her relief, the two rascals hadn’t turn the corner when Iris caught up with them.

“You’re not going to follow?” Oliver asked, looking amused and very judgy.

Barry was _not_ so amused.

“I know you’re not thrilled with the meeting place, but could you _not_ question our parenting skills?”

To his surprise, Oliver actually looked a bit ashamed himself.

“I’m sorry, Barry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s all right.” Barry brushed it off. “Come on, near the back is a quiet area with some tables and chairs. We can talk there.”

Oliver nodded and followed his friend to the back of the large store.

…

The little rascals were never far ahead of her, Iris reminded herself. Or, rather, they didn’t turn the end of the aisle until she almost reached them. Truly she should just be grateful that they’d remembered their rule before leaving the house to never use their speed in public – save that for when they get older and decide if they want to be superheroes or not, she’d decided.

If it were up to Barry, they’d already have their super suits ready – and for all she knew, her husband had secretly schemed with Cisco to make that happen – but she was determined to let their children have a choice in the matter. Even if she had to constantly distract her husband with her smokin’ bod whenever the topic came up and he decided to get really passionate about it. She knew he could get just as passionate about other things; they could both enjoy the experience if it was about her.

All this aside, she was grateful when the twins came to a stop in the middle of the next aisle. And truly, a complete stop. They didn’t move. Iris turned to see what they were staring at before the logical side of her brain went out the window in favor of full-blown concern.

“Whoaaa,” Don said, wide-eyed, mouth hanging open.

Dawn gasped. “A whole wall of Daddy.”

Iris bit her bottom lip, unable to repress a smile. It certainly wasn’t the first time they’d seen an action figure of the Flash. It was however likely the first time they’d seen so many of him in one place.

Suddenly Dawn dashed farther down the aisle – using her super speed for just a second before coming to a stop. Luckily, the woman passing by the aisle they were in didn’t come into full sight until after the quick flash of red lightning had vanished. Whew.

“Look, Donny! Uncle Wally is here, too!”

The woman passing by slowed down some to furrow her brows inquisitively. Iris briefly panicked and walked over to where her children were as normally as possible.

“He dresses up as Kid Flash every year for Halloween.” The woman raised her eyebrows. “And their birthdays, and other…” The woman walked away entirely. “…events,” Iris finished lamely.

She was just about to gently scold her children for revealing so much, even if it was pretty harmless and likely no one would believe them even if they did insist their family members were the superheroes displayed in great numbers in this aisle. But then Don briefly used his own speed as well to go to nearly the end of the aisle and snatch one of the few remaining figures of a different kind.

He turned to look at his sister with wide eyes and a mischievous grin. She nodded conspiratorially, and he darted away. Dawn quickly grabbed a couple other boxes before following.

“No speed, guys!” Iris called, following them quickly and relieved that at least they weren’t using their super speed again.

Finally, the two slowed right in front of their Uncle Ollie and Barry.

“Look what I found, Uncle Ollie!” Don said, smacking the box down on the table. Oliver blinked. “It’s you!”

Some surrounding patrons looked inquisitively towards them.

“Right…” Oliver forced a laugh when Barry’s attempt to shush them fell on deaf ears as they stared at their personal Green Arrow for his reaction. “That’s…me.” He cleared his throat.

Dawn turned to her father.

“Daddy, we saw you too! A whole _wall_ of you!” she exclaimed, wide-eyed and delighted.

“Yeah?” he asked, a smile on his face at his daughter’s joy.

“Must be due to that subway save from the other day,” Iris said, walking slowly over to them and standing beside her husband and children. “The Flash is in demand,” she practically purred.

Don and Dawn were oblivious to the suggestive undertones, but Oliver was not.

“Christ,” he muttered under his breath, “There are kids here, Barry.”

Barry broke the heart eyes he’d locked on his wife to look at him and raise his eyebrows.

“I’m aware, Oliver.”

Dawn popped up on Barry’s lap and he held her securely.

“You going to get that one, bud?” Oliver asked Don who still clutched the Green Arrow box in his hand. He was going to get some sort of win out of this situation. “Not your dad?”

Barry and Iris glared at him. The exchanges were harmless, but it was best not to tempt fate.

“Uh-uh.” Don shook his head.

Oliver’s brows furrowed. “No?”

“We have lots of Dad at home,” he said, then turned to his sister. “These are what we want!” He reached out his hand, opening and closing it greedily.

Dawn looked at the two options she held in her hand and gave him the one that least appealed to her – and luckily, Barry thought, most appealed to her brother.

Don shoved the box in his Uncle Ollie’s face.

“Oh. I see.”

“Power Rangers!” Don declared. Dawn giggled from her side of the table and nodded enthusiastically when Oliver looked over at her.

“We’ve been wanting them forever!” she declared, throwing her arms wide open and accidentally dropping the box on the floor in the process. “Oopsie.”

Iris bent down and picked it up for her daughter, sharing a pointed look in addition to the toy. _Be careful._

Dawn looked away briefly. _Yes, Mommy_.

“So, Power Rangers are better than the Green Arrow, huh?” Oliver asked, not without a little bitterness on his tongue.

“The best!” Don declared.

“Not better than Daddy,” Dawn scolded on a hushed whisper. Don turned to look at her, slightly ashamed. “ _Or_ Uncle Wally.”

“But better than Uncle Ollie,” Oliver muttered under his breath.

Iris broke the minor tiff between the adult and two children.

“Why don’t you guys go with Daddy to buy the toys at the check-out. Then come back here and have lunch.”

“Okay!” The two kids said excitedly, Dawn hopping off her father’s lap.

“Here you go.” Don pushed the Green Arrow toy towards Oliver as he dutifully grabbed his dad’s hand – Dawn doing the same on the opposite side – and walked with them to the far side of the store.

“Thanks…” Oliver responded glumly, though the boy was already too far away to hear.

Iris smiled smugly to herself and stepped closer to the secret superhero sitting at the table. She watched her husband and her now obedient children as they walked towards the check-out.

“Look at that, guess they do listen to us sometimes. Maybe we are half-decent parents.”

He sighed. “Iris, I never meant to imply-”

“I’ll get lunch,” she said, walking away towards the food court section of the store. “Bring them over when they come back, would you?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

“Great.” She smiled brightly.

“Out of curiosity…just how many Flash toys do your kids have?”

Iris stopped, unable to help herself and strutted back to where Oliver was sitting. She pulled out her phone, found the picture she was looking for, then turned the device around and showed it to him.

Oliver’s jaw dropped.

A pile of Flash plush toys, some sprinkled over their bed, some of Kid Flash too. Even a couple rare edition Jesse Quick ones. Then a whole assortment of action figures spread across their dressers, and their blankets, bed sheets, and pillow cases were decorated with lightning bolts and the Flash.

“So, they…like the Flash,” he said reluctantly.

Iris was going to gloat again. She really was. But when she thought back to how affectionate Barry was with their two kids and how fiercely he protected them, her heart melted.

She responded softly in return, “They adore him.”

Oliver met her eyes in recognition.

“Any…Green Arrow toys by any chance?” he asked hopefully but also, resigned.

“A couple,” she assured, the smug smile back. “But they don’t play with them much.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Of course.”

“I’m going to get us lunch now.” She couldn’t stop smiling. In fact, her smile widened till it was stretched across her face.

“I’ll bring them over when they get back,” he said with a sigh.

“Glad you could make it, Oliver.”

“Yeah…”

She laughed and left him. He stood up and watched as the two Allen kids collected their toys after Barry had paid for them and jumped up and down excitedly. Barry watched them with such love Oliver was almost envious, even though he could definitely relate.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to join the Allen family for lunch after the meeting at the toy store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? The Flash toys outnumber the Green Arrow toys by a LONG shot? Your point? *100% biased*


	13. Out Past Curfew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 13: Original timeline (if Eobard hadn't killed Nora) - Barry and Iris come home passed curfew from their first date in high school and have to face Nora Allen, Henry Allen, and Joe West. -Guest and sendtherain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's cute. I think you'll like it.
> 
> *Beta'd by the lovely sendtherain. :)

Iris West was quite possibly the prettiest girl Barry Allen had ever seen.

No. Scratch that. Scratch that. _The_ most _beautiful_ woman he’d ever seen and known and grown up with.

_You haven’t grown up with any other female besides your mother, Barry. Who is also very beautiful, remember._

He frowned, frustrated by his thoughts and how there seemed to be multiple personalities attacking each other inside of his head.

The giggle sounding across from him easily snapped him out of it. He blinked and looked at the beautiful girl sitting across from him, pointing her spoon at the likely ridiculous look on his face.

“What’s that frown for, Barry Allen?” She stuck the spoon in her mouth and sucked the remaining ice cream off it. “Not having a good time?”

He was dazzled and smiling like a love-struck idiot.

“I’m having a great time,” he said, reaching across the table to take her free hand in one of his own and run his thumb over her fingers.

Her quiet gasp nearly made him panic, but when she made no effort to untangle from his grasp, he let himself relax.

“Me, too.” She smiled timidly, looking up at him beneath her lashes.

She licked her lips, lifting her thumb up to play with his too, and all he could think was _oh my God, I want to kiss her_.

Bzz. Bzz.

“What’s that sound?”

Bzz. Bzz.

“Barry?”

“Huh?” he asked lazily, not really paying attention.

“Barry, your phone!”

He blinked. “Wha-”

She nodded towards his pocket where the device was moving about and vibrating madly.

“Oh my God!” He released her instantly, a feeling of dread causing sweat to trickle down the back of his neck.

 _“Have her home by nine, Bartholomew, and not a minute later!”_ Mr. West had barked earlier when they had left the house.

The order had both confused and terrified him because Iris’ father had always been extremely fond of him until he found out he was taking his daughter out on a date. What was even more troubling was when he mildly complained about the early curfew time and Iris informed him that her normal curfew was eight.

It suddenly made so much sense why most of their nighttime activities were talking on the phone and their in-person hang-outs happened during the day.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

“What?” Iris demanded, slamming her hand on the table. “What does it say? Is it my dad? Is he gonna kill us?”

“Not us.” He shook his head rapidly as he looked at the message. “Me.” He turned the phone around to show her the text.

**BRING MY DAUGHTER HOME, NOW.**

Iris gulped.

“We better go.” She was already pulling her legs out from under the picnic table outside Big Belly Burger.

“Yeah, I think so.”

He grabbed her hand quickly after she rounded the table and they both ran as fast as they could till they made it to their bikes parked nearby and then sped to the West house.

…

Standing in front of the house on the street, fourteen-year-old Iris and fifteen-year-old Barry took a simultaneous deep breath.

“You don’t have to come in, Barry.”

He laughed nervously. “No, I think I have to.”

She turned to look at him. “My dad has a gun.”

Barry turned to look at her, eyes wide.

“He’s a cop, remember?”

Some more nervous laughter. “Right.”

She grabbed her hands and laced her fingers between his.

“I had a great time tonight, Barry. You don’t need to walk me to my door.”

He thought about his life, the possibility of being grounded, and what kind of impression he’d make on Joe West after tonight.

“No.” He nodded once. “I have to do this.”

“You’re sure.”

“I can’t keep you out late and take the coward’s way out when I bring you back, Iris.”

She smiled. “You’re no coward, Barry Allen.”

She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He blushed fiercely. She tugged on his hand.

“Let’s go.”

His stride longer than hers, he quickly caught up to her. He was just about to turn and kiss her – might as well get one in – when the front door opened suddenly, and there stood a glaring Mr. West…and concerned Mr. and Mrs. Allen.

Barry dropped Iris’ hand instantly.

“Mom? Dad?”

Iris fumed beside him.

“What is going on here? A search party? We’re not even that late!”

Joe refused to look Barry in the eye.

“When your date here neglected to text me, I got worried.”

“He called us to ask if we knew where you were,” Nora intervened.

“They didn’t know either,” Joe growled.

Barry started to rethink running to his own house.

“But,” Henry interjected, “I told him you probably weren’t far since you’d taken your bikes and that we’d come over and wait with him.”

“Apparently your father thinks highly of you, Bartholomew.” Joe finally met his eyes.

Barry’s heart sank. He knew Iris was Mr. West’s number one priority, but the glaring disappointment in his eyes when he’d been so friendly for him for years stung worse than the impending grounding and talking-to he’d no doubt receive from his parents before going to bed that night.

“We were just at Big Belly Burger, Mr. West,” he said, shifting his foot against the flooring. “I’m sorry we’re late. We just lost track of time.”

Joe folded his arms against his chest.

“And how did that happen?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Because we weren’t watching our phones the whole time!” Iris snapped.

Joe’s eyes blazed as he turned to look at her. “You watch your tone, young lady.”

“We were talking!” she shot back, unthwarted. “Sitting at a picnic table, eating ice cream, holding _hands_.” She took Barry’s hand in her own and held them up so her father could see. “And what time is it really?”

Nora hesitated but managed to answer before the boiling Joe West.

“Ten o’clock.”

Barry paled.

_Oh my God. I’m never going to get another date with her again. I won’t even be let into the house._

“That’s fifty-nine minutes past curfew, Iris Ann West,” Joe informed her.

She sighed. “Well, I’m sorry, Dad.” She looked away and lowered her hand to her side, but she absolutely refused to let go of Barry’s.

Henry cleared his throat.

“Well. Now that we know you’re both okay and haven’t been up to no good, we should…go home. Right, Barry?” He looked pointedly at his son.

Barry lifted his eyes to his father and instantly untangled his hand from Iris’.

“Right. Yes. Definitely.” He turned to Iris, started to lean in to hug her, but the glare from Joe was enough to stop even that. “Goodnight, Iris.”

He went down the steps, not looking back. Iris’ bottom lip trembled and tears filled her eyes.

“I hope you’re happy, Dad,” she spat before pushing passed her father to go up the stairs.

Henry and Nora watched the heartbroken girl dash away and their dejected son slowly make his way down the street and then looked at Joe pointedly.

“What? They broke curfew. That’s a punishable offense in this house.”

“After tonight maybe, but…” Nora let the sentence hang.

Joe connected the dots. “You’re not suggesting I actually let them kiss.”

“It is their first date,” Henry pointed out.

“ _Exactly_ ,” Joe said. “Their _first_ date. And as far as I’m concerned, their _last_ one.”

Nora’s brows narrowed, and she folded her own arms against her.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard what I said.”

“There is nothing wrong with our boy. In fact, you loved him like your own before tonight. What’s more, you know your daughter is telling the truth, and that those two are absolutely infatuated with each other and have been for the last couple years at least.”

“Honey-” Henry tried, but it was no use.

“I’ll be damned if you refuse to let my beautiful boy take your daughter on another date just because they were a little late the first time.”

“Nora!” Henry said, shocked.

“An hour is hardly-”

“Mr. West,” Barry interjected, suddenly before them again.

Joe turned to face him. His parents remained silent.

“If it’s all right with you…” He counted to three and then took the plunge. “I’d really like to kiss your daughter goodnight.”

Nora and Henry were as blindsided as Joe. They could only turn and look at him to see how he would respond.

Maybe it was the bold choice, maybe it was the permission he was seeking, or maybe it was because Joe realized this was the same kid who came over almost every day since he and Iris were in kindergarten and that he’d hoped would one day sweep her off her feet, but his face softened.

“Iris!” he called up to her, not turning around, not looking away from the young man in front of him. “Come say goodnight to your boyfriend.”

All three individuals were as shocked as Joe that the b-word had passed by his lips, but they didn’t say a word to him. Henry and Nora walked out onto the porch and quietly told their son they’d start walking down the block and he could catch up with them. Barry nodded subtly.

Then Iris was coming down the stairs, her cheeks stained with tears. Joe left them be, walking further into the house. He held up his hand – all five fingers – signaling the sign to Barry of how long this could last. He nodded to him too.

Then Iris was in front of him and they were on the porch alone and their hands were laced together again.

“I must look like such a mess to you,” she laughed nervously, her eyes red from tears.

“Not a mess,” he assured her, and she looked up at him. “Beautiful.”

“This is a terrible end to a first date. I don’t even know if we’ll get a second.”

Her bottom lip trembled, and he didn’t think he could love her more.

“I think we will,” he said softly, starting to lean in.

“Yeah?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he whispered back, covering her lips with his own in a single, sweet kiss.

When he pulled back there were stars in her eyes, and he grinned like the sappy, lovestruck fool he was.

“Call me tomorrow?” she asked, barely restraining herself from bouncing up on her toes.

“If I still have my phone,” he said, and then added, “Or I’ll conveniently walk by and you can wave to me from the window.”

She giggled. “Goodnight, Barry Allen.”

He smiled and kissed her again, lingering a few moments before pulling away.

“Goodnight, Iris West.”

He nearly fell down the stairs, but he managed to make it down the stairs, waving to Iris once his feet hit the sidewalk. He ran to catch up with his parents who weren’t too far ahead and had no doubt caught sight of their son’s first kiss.

It didn’t matter.

He was still grounded. His phone was taken away to prevent any late-night texting.

The landline was free game.

So was Iris’.


	14. No Takebacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 14: In 1x15; what would have happened if Barry hadn't traveled back in time after Iris professed her love to him. -Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap is left a little open-ended because I plan to run with this premise in a multi-chap eventually, so this is just immediately following the events of 1x15 (minus the time travel obvs) what might've happened between Barry & Iris. Enjoy!
> 
> *Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing. :)

Faster. Faster. Faster.

He ran as fast as he could, and then still faster.

Everything in him told him to keep running, to save the city, to save the people he loved, to live long enough to bask in what had just happened with Iris.

But he couldn’t do that if he and half the city were dead.

And so, he ran. He ran until the wind he created so enveloped him that he couldn’t feel the spray of the tsunami closer than ever.

He came to a sudden stop and looked out onto the water. It was still, peaceful. When he turned his eyes back to the city, some people were still running, but a great deal had stopped.

“It’s okay, guys, it’s okay!” Iris’ voice stood out among the crowd, her reassurance causing still more people to stop running. “The Flash saved us!”

Then their eyes met, and time stood still. The frustration echoing across the bay from the meta who had tried to cause so much damage broke the moment. Barry ran to collect Mark Mardon and Joe; the former he deposited at Iron Heights, the latter at the hospital, where he changed back into normal clothes and waited outside Joe’s room.

Iris showed up not twenty minutes later to check on her dad. She was frantic and didn’t give Barry so much as a glance as she raced into her dad’s room. He was conscious and on the mend, just waiting for the doctor’s okay to leave.

“He’s okay, Iris,” Barry said from the door.

She looked over her shoulder at him. He couldn’t see clearly what was in her eyes, and something in the back of his mind went off.

“I think I’m going to stay here for a while, Barry,” she said.

“There’s no need to do that,” Joe tried.

“I insist, Dad,” she shut him down, and surprisingly he didn’t argue.

“I’ll see you both later then…” Barry said, not really sure what was going on or if something had changed.

 _Iris had told him she had feelings for him, right?_ He hadn’t imagined that. He hadn’t imagined kissing her either. At least he hoped he hadn’t.

“Bear!” she called out before he was completely out of sight.

He popped back into full vision and quirked his head.

“Yeah?” he asked, too readily, too excitedly.

“Coffee later?”

He grinned and then forced himself to stop.

“Yes. Absolutely. Just…text me when to meet.” She smiled in response. It seemed a little forced, but he ignored that. “Okay then,” he added before heading down the hall again.

It was late afternoon before she texted him. He was already at Jitters. He couldn’t wait. He’d run around the entire city, so thrilled about what he was so sure was going to happen, ignoring every unfavorable possibility that could occur. And for the last hour he’d been sitting at Jitters, unable to sit still, annoying nearby patrons and causing Stacy behind the counter to smile and laugh a little at his behavior and how many cups of coffee he ordered – which was probably unwise.

But then Iris was coming through the door looking for him, and he felt the deja vu of seeking her out after waking up from a nine-month-long coma. She’d jumped into his arms then, so happy to see him. His heart leapt in his throat then, absolutely ecstatic, same as it was doing now.

He was halfway across the room before she spotted him, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t wait. He was done thinking about how he felt about her. Now that she felt the same way and had confessed it to him, there was nothing standing in the way of them being together.

“Barry, I-”

His hands cupped her face, his lips met hers, and for three glorious seconds she kissed him back and melted into his embrace.

Then reality came crashing down.

“N-No, we can’t.”

His brows furrowed as she pushed herself away from him. She took a breath.

“Look, can we take a walk?” she asked, glancing around the room quickly while her old co-worker watched them curiously.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” He was still confused, but he grabbed his jacket and followed her out the door.

 _This_ part of his deja vu experience was not so enjoyable.

“So, you’re the Flash,” were the first words that tumbled out of her mouth.

He sighed. He’d managed to forget about that revelation.

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, not too demanding but a little hurt.

“I was trying to protect you. So was your dad. I wanted to tell you so many times, but he-”

“Wait a minute. My dad knew? And he told you not to tell me?”

 _No. No. No._ This was _not_ how he wanted this conversation to go.

“He just wanted you to be safe, Iris.”

She came to a stop, and so did he.

“Who else knows?” she demanded.

“Everyone at STAR Labs.”

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

“You told them?”

“They told me. They were there for all of it. It’s why I was there. They knew this might be possible. They’ve been helping me develop my powers and put them to good use.”

She pursed her lips. “And you didn’t think your best friend could help with that?”

“Iris-”

“No, I know.” She waved him off. “You were doing it to _protect me_ ,” she mocked.

His shoulders slumped helplessly. This was _definitely_ not where he wanted this conversation to go.

“Iris, about what you said…”

Her eyes blazed. “About what?”

It was a punch to the stomach, but he forced himself to clarify.

“About not being able to stop thinking about me? Because you didn’t want to?” he hedged cautiously.

She stiffened.

“That wasn’t a lie, was it?”

“We were about to die, Barry. Or, I thought we were. I didn’t know you were the Flash about to save us.”

“But at Jitters just now…” He pointed his thumb back at the building. “You let me kiss you.”

“Only for a second.”

“You kissed me back!”

“I’m with Eddie!”

Another punch to the stomach; his jaw dropped open too.

“But…I thought…I mean…” He ran his hand through his hair. “What you said, what we did…doesn’t that…change anything?”

She looked away.

“Iris…” His voice broke when he reached for her hands and she pulled them out of reach.

“I cheated on my boyfriend.” She looked back at him. “I don’t cheat. I’m loyal.”

“You told me yourself that you had feelings for me. You chose to stay in a relationship knowing that you have feelings for two people.”

Her eyes watered, and her bottom lip trembled. He felt bad, but he kept pressing forward. He had to, or he’d lose all his nerve and never try again.

“You think you can just…go back to Eddie now and act like it never happened? You’re just going to bury your feelings for me again and…”

He lost his breath, his voice, his train of thought. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He couldn’t believe she was taking back everything between them when she’d just accepted it was there.

“I’m going to tell him the truth and hope he forgives me.”

He scoffed. “And if he doesn’t?”

“That’s up to him. Either way, you and I…we can’t…I can’t…that would look so-”

He took her hands as she rambled and held on tight.

“Iris.”

She met his eyes and didn’t pull away.

“I love you.”

“You’re with Linda,” she blurted. “You cheated on Linda.”

He nodded. “And I feel terrible about it.” Truth was, the guilt over that hadn’t exactly kicked in yet, but he knew it would. Linda didn’t deserve this. “But I’m not going to fight for that relationship.”

She scoffed. “Then you’re a terrible boyfriend.”

“I am. I got into a relationship as quickly as I could because I thought the girl I wanted didn’t want me back.”

She swallowed hard.

“Tell me you don’t even want to try, and I’ll drop it. But, Iris…” He slipped his hand into her hair. “It’s cruel to not even give us a shot.”

She shivered and nuzzled into his hand involuntarily.

“Barry…”

“Will you please just think about it?” he asked.

She locked her eyes on his, then slowly…reluctantly…nodded.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

He sighed. “I’m going to break up with Linda.”

“Barry-”

“She deserves to hear it from me.”

“And what if I don’t break up with Eddie?”

“I can’t be with her now that I know you have feelings for me, Iris. I’d be stringing her along, and that’s not fair to her.”

“She’ll be mad at you.”

He nodded. “I know. But it’s the right thing to do.”

“Okay.” She stepped back out of reach. “Call me when it’s over.”

He smiled tremulously. “I will.”

She forced a smile and turned to walk away.

“Iris, wait-”

She turned back and collided with his lips. She didn’t push him away. She sunk into him and reciprocated that thrilling kiss. She could feel him smiling against her when they parted.

“You can’t tell me three kisses isn’t enough to make you change your mind,” he said smugly.

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away, but she was smiling.

“Call me later,” she said.

He beamed back. “I will.”


End file.
